


Ways to Say I Love You

by Creme13rulee



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Drabble Collection, Established Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Fluff, M/M, Supportive Victor Nikiforov, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 19:17:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14960541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creme13rulee/pseuds/Creme13rulee
Summary: Viktor says it constantly.  Yuuri hasn’t said it at all. But Viktor knows the ways Yuuri says I love you.An introductory  post-canon  pre-wedding fic and collection of drabbles based on ““All the Ways I Know Yuuri Katsuki Loves Me, an Essay By Viktor Nikiforov.”





	1. ...An Essay By Viktor Nikiforov.

It had been a long week, and the wedding hadn’t even happened yet.  
It had been months in the making--friends from all corners of the world were descending upon Hasetsu. The only hotel in the city was booked full-- and Viktor had been there every day that week, ferrying friends from the airport and back and forth from Yuutopia.  
It was something Viktor had been planning for months. It was possible to lodge most skaters at Yuutopia-- they had before for ice shows-- but Yuuri needed space. Viktor needed Yuuri.  
And so, Viktor sat in the hotel bar with Chris and Mathieu, his plus-one to the wedding, nursing a glass of red wine. Yuuri had taken a taxi home-- citing the need to walk Makkachin. But they all knew (Viktor knew, at least) that he needed to be alone and recharge.

“It’s sweet with you two. All day, you go on about how you love him.” Chris mused, swirling the wine in his glass. “He never says it back, but it never stops you. Such lovebirds.”  
The relaxed smile on Chris’ face betrayed his words. A sick feeling slid icily down to Viktor’s stomach.  
“What do you mean?” He said slowly, trying to keep his emotions in check.

“Oh, you know. You two are your own pair. But I’ve heard you say ‘I love you’ 50 times today, and Yuuri just smiles. Still such a shy boy, even after that scandalous choreography you gave him.” Chris purred, and Matthieu rolled his eyes.

“Yuuri loves me.” Viktor kept his cold tone.

“I’m sure he does. The wedding is in what, two days?” Chris smiled, unaffected.

Viktor finished his drink as fast as he could manage without being obvious. He bid a good night before stomping to the taxi stand in front of the hotel.

When he got home, Yuuri was on his bed-- their bed now. They had bought a second bed, which took up most of the space Yuuri’s room. Viktor loved it. His fiance was curled up in bed, wrapped up in several blankets, playing some sort of video game. Yuuri had explained it to Victor once, but he had lost tract, distracted by the way Yuuri’s fingers moved and his hair fell in his eyes. Yuuri was cuddliest when he was playing one of his RPG games. Viktor had managed to curl into him as a big spoon and little spoon. As long as Yuuri could see the screen, he was content.

“Tadaima, Yuuri.” I’m home. He crawled onto the bed, and Yuuri shifted in his blanket burrito.

“Okaeri.” He turned his face to meet Viktor for a kiss, his game on pause. “How was the wine?”

“Not as sweet as it is with you.” Yuuri’s cheeks flushed and he smiled shyly, snuggling into Viktor’s side. Viktor felt the warmth, every muscle in his body relaxing next to his soon-to-be husband  
But the words still nagged at him.

“Hey… Yuuri,” Viktor looked over. Yuuri was already back to playing his game.

“Hmm?”

“You love me, right?” Viktor kept the tone light, airy.

It didn’t work. God, Yuuri listened so well. His fingers were moving and his eyes weren’t looking, but he heard.

Because his eyes immediately widened with panic, pupils constricting as he dropped the video game to the side carelessly.

“Yeah, why? Did I do something? What did I do wrong?” Yuuri stuttered, struggling to get his arms out of his mess of blankets, fighting to sit up.

“Yuuri, Yuuri,” Viktor sang, gripping both of Yuuri’s shoulders. “It’s okay. You didn’t do anything.”

Tears shone in Yuuri’s eyes. “Are you having second thoughts?”  
Viktor felt his throat close.

“No. Never. It’s…” Viktor lost his focus. Yuuri was trembling. Viktor closed his eyes, gathering strength. “Chris said that I said ‘ I love you’ a lot, but he’s never heard it from you. He just doesn’t understand us.”

“But I do.” Yuuri’s face burned a deeper red. “We’re getting married. I’ve skated for you my whole life.”

Viktor brightened. “Yes, Yuuri. You show me your love every day.”  
Yuuri folded into himself, blinking away the tears gathering on his lashes.

“I love you.” He mumbled. The words sounded unpractied, almost foreign in Yuuri’s mouth.

“I love you too, Yuuri. I love it when you show me your love. You don’t have to say it to me. I understand.” Viktor smoothed back Yuuri’s hair from his face. 

He’d never heard it between Yuuri and his parents or his sister. They’d spent their first year together finding love on the ice. He didn’t doubt that the Katsuki’s loved Yuuri. They loved him, just as much as they loved Victor. He knew it because Yuuri made him realize live and love.

Yuuri whimpered. He was still his own worst enemy, even after winning gold and vibrant confidence on the ice.

“Hand me my notebook, please.” Viktor said sharply, holding out his hands, palm up. Yuuri did as Viktor asked, stunned. He handed Viktor the notebook he used to jot down dreams and choreography ideas. Viktor’s vows were written in them too-- but Viktor was careful not to say anything he didn’t want Yuuri to hear every day of their lives together.

Viktor pulled the pen out of the spiral binding, flipping to a fresh page.

“All the Ways I Know Yuuri Katsuki Loves Me, an Essay By Viktor Nikiforov.” Viktor narrated loudly as he scribbled it on the page.


	2. Number one: Yuuri bought me new shoes.

Number one: Yuuri bought me new shoes.

“That doesn’t sound romantic at all.” Yuuri breathed.  
“But it is.” Viktor recanted.

“Yuuri, where were you?” Viktor whined. They had parted ways at Ice castle two hours earlier, when Yakov called at the end of their practice. Yuuri had told him where he was going, but by the time Viktor even realized Yuuri had said something to him, he was gone. Viktor had gone home alone, eating dinner with the rest of the family.

“Oh. Youme-town, like I said.” Yuuri blinked. He carried only one bag, and was still in his practice sweats.

“We couldn’t go together?” Victor stuck out his bottom lip in an over the top pout.

“You were busy. “ Yuuri fidgeted. “I wanted you to be safe. Here.” He held out the bag, and Viktor stared at it, lost for words.

He pulled open the box, before pulling out a pair of black trainers. They were imports-- Viktor could read that much-- and his perfect size.

“Yuuri-- why?” He had a pair already, even though this new pair was still within his tastes.

“You kept slipping and tripping in the rain yesterday. The treads on your shoes are all worn down. I--I can return them if they’re not the right--”

“They’re perfect.” Viktor pulled Yuuri into a tight hug. “Thank you.”


	3. Number two: He worked hard to learn Russian for me.

It was their third week in St. Petersburg together, and everything had fallen into place. Yuuri seemed to finally overcome jet lag, and they had figured out the perfect system for training. Viktor went to the rink early, when Yakov was his sharpest, and Yuuri the night-owl came in the afternoon.  
Today happened to be the first day that wasn’t busy with unpacking and bureaucracy. Viktor had imagined sleeping into the late afternoon with Yuuri-- until Yakov had called him in for an emergency meeting. He left reluctantly, leaving Yuuri still in bed and half asleep. The apartment was still quiet when Viktor returned with lunch in hand. Viktor paused, looking around. Makkachin wasn’t in her bed, and there was a half-drunk cup of tea on the counter. Viktor paused-- the table was a mess too-- covered in notebooks and several types of pencils. Flashcards lay fanned across the table for each letter in the cryllic alphabet.  
Viktor crept closer-- on the notebook paper was a neat list of russian words-- mainly the pet names Viktor used, and their translations in both english and Japanese. On the bottom of the list were random words, picked up from the environment around Yuuri, recently transfered from the smaller notebook Viktor had seen Yuuri keep in his coat pocket. Viktor recognized the name of the closest subway station and the name of his favorite tea that he kept in the cupboard. His heart warmed at the third notebook- filled with neat rows of sentences. Yuuri’s cryllic was carefully written--copied from somewhere.

I live with Viktor.

I am a Japanese figure skater.

I know a little Russian

Do you speak English?

Viktor’s heart felt like it was going to burst-- Yuuri wanted to learn how to say his place with Viktor over all else. He was Viktor’s, and Viktor was Yuuri’s.

Viktor jumped at Yuuri’s voice from the bedroom. The bathroom door closed.

“I’m back--” Yuuri was probably on skype. His voice had that high quality when he was on the phone. Nerves. The other person was on speakerphone at least. Viktor felt a little less guilty about eavesdropping. Whoever was on the other line supplied the Russian translation for what Yuuri just said. Yuuri repeated it carefully.  
“Sorry-- let me write it down.” Yuuri stuttered, jogging into the living room-- and right into Viktor’s chest. “Oof.”

“Hello, Yuuri!” Viktor sang brightly. The woman on the other end of the line said hello in Russian, as if automatically.

“Viktor! You’re home!” Yuuri blushed until the tips of his ears were red.

“I texted you.” Viktor let his smile fade, although he felt almost giddy. “You didn’t see it?”

“I… no.” Yuuri dropped his gaze. “I… I found a language partner, but she lives in Sasebo, and this is the only time we can talk.”

“You’ve been studying Russian for me?” Viktor lit up. The woman on Yuuri’s phone laughed, sound echoing from the speaker cradled in Yuuri’s hands.

“I’ve… been trying.” Yuuri smiled his private smile, a shy one, finally realizing that Viktor wasn’t mad. “I wasn’t doing very good, and I found Rena-san last week..”

“I love you, Yuuri. Aishiteru.” Viktor sang, light as air.


End file.
